XOXO -- Devotional for March 29, from "Good Seeds"

Greet one another with a holy kiss. (Romans 16:16; I Cor. 16:20;
II Cor. 13:12; I Peter 5:14)

Have you ever received a letter from a loved one that had X’s and O’s written all over it? Kisses and hugs are two wonderful ways to show love and affection to those closest to us. There is a huge variety of expression and a wide spectrum of meaning in the kiss: grandchildren blow kisses to grandma and grandpa; a father and daughter exchange “butterfly kisses” with their eyelashes; “Let’s rub noses like the Eskimoses!” goes the old song; Europeans and Russians meet and greet as complete strangers with a brief whisper of a kiss on alternating cheeks; parents and children say goodnight with “a kiss and a hug”; subjects in a kingdom kiss the hand of their Sovereign, as do devout Catholics their Mother Superior and Father Pope. Psalm 2:11-12 names the kiss as an expression of holy worship: “Approach the Lord with reverence; rejoice with trembling; kiss the Son, lest He become angry and you perish in the way.” But where was such fear of God when Judas kissed the Son, his Master, as an act of betrayal!? Was Solomon prophesying this act in Proverbs 27:6? “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” And regarding the kissing that goes on in the human family, everyone instinctively knows the difference in meaning between a kiss on the cheek, a kiss on the forehead, and a kiss on the lips. Yes, a kiss can range from the most innocent expression of affection between friends to the most vile act of betrayal between enemies. We see the spectrum of emotion and devotion of a kiss flowing from parental love to romantic passion, as it ranges from the most generic and public greeting between strangers to the most private, personal and passionate expression of ecstasy between two people in love. But now, understanding all this, where does the “holy kiss” mentioned over and over in the New Testament fit in? What is a kiss? It is no less than an outward expression of inward feelings of love and devotion. This is a behavior highly encouraged between members of the family of God. But it says, “holy kiss.” What makes it holy? The word means pure, separated unto God, cleansed from evil. The juxtaposition of these two words may sound like an oxymoron to those who can only think of kissing in terms of unbridled, self-serving passion. It is not to be so among believers. But it is also not to be so that we keep safe distances, putting up barriers of privacy, when Jesus wants us warmly greeting one another with intimate love from the heart, expressed in this sincere and pure gesture of mutual respect and affection: The Holy Kiss.